AN ARMY veteran with post traumatic stress disorder who took his life was not given the help he needed, his devastated family say.

Aaron Aston, who suffered flashbacks and insomnia and was deemed “high risk”, was found hanging in a barn a day after he ran out of hospital.

He had been waiting in hospital more than six hours, following a suicide attempt.

The 35-year-old had served in Kosovo, Afghanistan and Northern Ireland but after an honourable discharge from the army in 2008 he found he was becoming “angrier” and although never diagnosed, he displayed symptoms of PTSD.

His family are now calling for more help to be offered to veterans like Mr Aston, who served in The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.

Before he was found dead on December 2, he had twice tried to take his life the previous month, an inquest has heard.

His suicide attempts came after a domestic incident with his wife in November which resulted in the breakdown of his marriage.

He was given a court order which prevented him from seeing his wife and child on the same day as his second suicide attempt.

He was also reeling after his wife told him she was moving to a Germany with his daughter.

Sister-in-law of Mr Aston, Natalie Timmis, described him as “kind, funny and smart”.

She said after his marriage broke down he had been homeless but later found accommodation.

Ms Timmis said that after his first suicide attempt in November 2016, signs that he was mentally unwell were not picked up by medical staff at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester.

Adrienne Coward, from Combat Stress, said the charity had been trying to contact him.

She said he told them he had difficulty controlling his emotions, and had flashbacks and insomnia.

Mr Aston, from Bolton Drive, Gosport, was taken to Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth after his second suicide attempt on November 30.

The inquest heard he waited for more than six hours to be seen by a mental health practitioner before he ran out of the building.

He had waited three and half hours to be seen by Dr Chrissie Smith at 5.35am, who assessed him as “high risk”, and three hours after that he spoke to mental health practitioner Patricia Doe.

Mr Aston agreed to a mental health assessment but ran out of the building before this took place.

Before he left he spoke to Ms Timmis. She said: “I rang him and he told me that he tried to take his own life. He was talking about his daughter and he could not do it anymore and he told me that it would end that day one way or another.”

His body was discovered by a farmer in a barn at Wallops Wood Farm, Droxford a day later.

The inquest heard the hospital had made a raft of improvements to reduce the risk of people leaving like Mr Aston did.

Coroner Grahame Short recorded a verdict of suicide, saying: “I think that he had come to a realisation that his marriage was at an end and he was not going to get back the relationship he had wanted.

“He was clearly regretful for that and he realised he could not turn back the clock.”

After the inquest the family of Mr Aston said they want his case to raise awareness that veterans with PTSD need more support.

In a statement they said: “We do not believe there is enough help for veterans at all.

“There should be more help with mental health for them. What has been put in place in Southampton and Hampshire needs to be spread further out.”

Combat Stress, the veterans’ mental health charity, said the issue of PTSD has seen many veterans like Mr Aston suffer in silence.

A statement from Combat Stress said: “Every veteran death is a tragedy, and our heartfelt condolences go out to Mr Aston’s family. As a medical organisation, we are unable to comment further on individual cases.

“Post-traumatic stress disorder is a very serious mental health condition. Left untreated, it can have a very serious impact on those affected and their loved ones.

“Combat Stress provides treatment for conditions including post-traumatic stress disorder, at our treatment centres and also through a network of community teams. We are working with the MoD, NHS and military charity sector to overcome the stigma of mental health and encourage veterans to access the help they need.

“Despite the work we do, we know many veterans continue to struggle in silence. We strongly encourage them, or their loved ones, to contact Combat Stress on our 24-hour helpline on 0800 138 1619.”